Tennessee's beginnings started long before she was admitted into statehood in 1796. A desire to have a voice and a hand in where their futures may lie, led the first Tennesseans to fight for their new home and to forge a new land into a place they could leave to their descendants. 

If your roots started in Tennessee before it became a state, there are a couple of certificate programs available, which would make a wonderful way to recognize and honor your pioneer ancestors. 
 
First Families of Tennessee (FFT) was established by the East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) in 1993 as a Tennessee Bicentennial project. Membership is open to anyone who can prove direct descent from a person or persons living in any part of what is now Tennessee before or by statehood in 1796.

First Families of Tennessee Research Collection
To help you in your search, the First Families of Tennessee Research Collection, representing more than 15,000 members from every state and eight foreign countries, comprise the largest collection of information on the state's early settlers and their families. The FFT Collection is housed in the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection at the East Tennessee History Center, where they provide a wealth of research materials for present and future historians and genealogists.

First Families of Tennessee Certificate
Descendants who can prove their pioneer connection to Tennessee through acceptable records, a handsomely designed certificate is issued by ETHS to applicants who qualify and are admitted to membership in FFT. The certificate features the state seal, along with the applicant's name and the name of the applicant's pioneer ancestor. There is a one-time membership fee of $25 for membership in First Families.

To qualify for a First Families of Tennessee certificate, the applicant must directly descend from an ancestor who settled in Tennessee prior to December 31, 1796. The applicant must be able to prove descent from the ancestor (male or female) by an official record or records for each generation, including proof for the applicant. Current Tennessee residence is not necessary. 

For more information, visit the First Families of Tennessee website at http://www.easttnhistory.org/FFT
 
Tennessee Ancestry Certificate Program
​Another pioneer recognition program is the Tennessee Ancestry Certificate Program, offered by the Tennessee Genealogical Society (TNGS), which recognizes the contributions of your Tennessee settler ancestors who settled in Tennessee during one of five settlement periods:

• Colonial -- prior to 1 June 1796
• Territorial -- prior to 15 June 1836
• Antebellum -- prior to 6 May 1861
• Civil War -- 1861-1865 or applied for TN Confederate War Pension
• Nineteenth Century -- prior to 31 Dec 1900 

The Tennessee Ancestry Certificate Program was initiated during the 1986 Tennessee Homecoming Celebration and certificates are awarded to requesters who provide documentary proof that their ancestors resided in the area now known as Tennessee during one of the five settlement periods. Applications for the certificates have come from thousands of persons across the country and overseas -- all of them proud to proclaim their Tennessee ancestry.   

Tennessee Settlers and Their Descendants       
TNGS will provide an attractive certificate, suitable for framing, with the prime ancestor's name, date and place of settlement, to each person whose application meets program qualifications. The cost of a certificate is $30 and three books, Tennessee Settlers and Their Descendants, have been published from applications submitted for these certificates. Tennessee Settlers and Their Descendants – Vol. 1 includes applications received before Dec. 31, 1993; Vol. 2 includes applications submitted between Jan. 1, 1994 to Dec. 31, 2004 and includes 266 early Tennessee families with over 1,400 surnames. Vol. 3 was published November 2015 and includes applications from Jan. 1, 2005 to Oct. 31, 2015 All volumes are fully indexed and may be ordered from the TNGS Bookstore.
 
For more information on TNGS’s Tennessee Ancestry Certificate Program visit http://www.tngs.org/certificates. 

By Sherri Onorati

This blog entry is coming to you from Salt Lake City where I am spending the upcoming week in genealogical heaven... the Family History Library. 

It's been about three years since my last visit and in that time, they have done some amazing remodeling! 

The first floor, which used to have row upon row of computers and books, has been redesigned into the most amazing interactive stations which tell the story of your family history discoveries, and is aptly called the Family History Discovery Center.  There's even a special section for the littlest patrons to play while parents search and discover their family history. 

Eight stations invite patrons to login and bring their family history to life. Using a provided iPad and high-def touchscreen monitors, guests are able to connect to each station and explore various scenarios which all reveal their family history in a whole new way. 

All About Me shows what's special about your name and birth year – highlighting the top stories from the year of your birth and how many people in the United States share your name. And if you want to know what was happening in the U.S. when your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were born, it's got you covered. 

Where I Come From brings your ancestors to life on the big screen. My Heritage shows you where your ancestors are from on an interactive map. There are also vintage photos for the locations of your ancestors which reveal what life was like when your ancestors were living there. The U.S. Immigration tab provides what the economical and political environment was like in your ancestors home country and gives reasons why they might have moved to America. 

My Time Machine provides a timeline and shows what life would have been like living in another country. Select an ancestor and see what was going on in their country and in the world.

My Famous Relatives is absolutely amazing! Using the data you have plugged into your Family Search family tree, this interactive station finds who you are related to and what the relationship is. You might find yourself related to famous entertainers, authors, inventors, pioneers, U.S. presidents and first ladies, Mayflower passengers or even Latter Day Saints (LDS) leadership. 

Picture My Heritage and Picture Our Heritage puts you on camera and allows you to "wear" the clothes of your ancestors and to step into their lives through the use of computer generated imagery (CGI).

And last, but certainly not least, Record My Story and Record Our Story, puts you in the studio so you can tell your story the way you want. Using prompts or freestyle, FHL patrons are invited to record their story alone, or with family and friends. Afterwards, the recording is sent to your email for you to add to your tree or to share with the world. 

After you've completed your exploration of each station, an email is sent to you with the pictures, recording or details about your experience at the Family History Discovery Center. There is something for all but to get the full experience of the Discovery Center, you do need to have a free FamilySearch account and a family tree started. Like everything else at the Family History Library, there is no charge to use the Discovery Center and you're invited to come back as much as you will like, to see how your story changes as you continue to build and discover your history. Trust me... it's definitely something you'll want to try again!

To learn more about the Family History Library, visit www.familysearch.org/locations/saltlakecity-library

By Sherri Onorati

This is a blog entry that I wrote a few years ago on my site, Family Heirlooms, using prompts given by Thomas MacEntee through his Geneabloggers site. Writing about the families we are researching gives us a wonderful way to "flesh" out the people we learn about. It helps them to become more than just a name or statistic we find on a piece of paper, but rather it brings them to life and helps to remind us that they too once lived and deserve to be remember. 

To learn more about Blogging your family history, join me on Saturday, July 21 at 10 am at the Tennessee Genealogical Society as we talk about Genealogy Blogs and Blogging in general and how to get started! Sign up here.

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: Family means you’re never alone
Whenever I’m stressed, I like to walk in cemeteries to help calm myself. Today was a beautiful day for it, and I soon found myself walking through Salem Associate Reformed Presbyterian Cemetery located in Atoka, Tenn. I decided to walk to the furthest corner to see who was there, but on the way I stumbled upon a little headstone, lying on the ground and all alone. The stone will certainly be lost to the effects of nature within a few years, if not returned to a standing position.

The stone I discovered marks the final resting place of little Hugh Murry Cockrell who’s life was just beginning when he died on March 28, 1904. It saddened me to see him all alone, with no parents or other relatives buried next to him and it made me want to know more about Hugh and his family. Where were his parents and why weren’t they buried next to him? Did they move away from the area after he died?

Hugh Murry Cockrell was the first born of Bryant Thomas Cockrell and Margaret E. Morrison and was born on Oct. 16, 1898 in Tipton County, Tenn. His father moved to Tipton County with his family when he was just a boy, and it is where he met his mother.

Bryant Thomas Cockrell was born Aug. 1, 1873 in Kentucky, the son of Thomas E.S. Cockrell and Sallie Tipton. His father was born in Kentucky about 1838 and his mother, in Kentucky on Dec. 8, 1848.

The 1880 federal census finds the Cockrell family living in Brighton, Tipton County, TN. Thomas, 42, was a general mechanic and Sallie, 28, was a house wife, busily taking care of seven-year-old Bryant and his older sister Mary C. who was 10 at the time.

Hugh’s mother, Margaret E. Morrison was the daughter of Hugh and Ellen L. Morrison. She was born in Tipton County, Tennessee in December 1872. Hugh Morrison was the son of Irish immigrants, Chestnut and Margaret Morrison, and was born in South Carolina in May 1848 and died Oct. 4, 1914. Her mother, Ellen, was born in Mississippi on Oct 29, 1844 and died on Feb. 12, 1875, when Margaret or Maggie, as she was better known as, was just two years old. She died four days after giving birth to her sister who later died in September of that year.

The 1880 federal census for Monroe, Mississippi, Arkansas lists Hugh Morrison, 32 and his young daughter Maggie, 8, living with the Guyne family as borders where her father worked as a farmer.

The Morrison family eventually found their way back to Tipton County where Maggie met and married B.T. Cockrell on Dec. 29, 1897. The young couple was blessed with the birth of their son Hugh Murry, a short ten months later.

The young family, along with little Hugh, is located on the 1900 federal census, living with Maggie’s father at Carson Lake in Troy Township, Mississippi, Arkansas. Bryant, 27, is a farm laborer, working along side with his father-in-law.

A daughter soon joins the family and she is named Flossie Ellen. She shares her name with her father’s youngest sister and her maternal grandmother, and she was born on March 5, 1901 in Tipton County, Tenn. But, like her mother suffered before her, she too loses her mama before the age of two. Maggie dies the following year at the age of 29 on Aug. 7, 1902. Bryant is just 29 when he becomes a widower with a young daughter and son, just a couple of years older than his father-in-law was when he became a widower.

Approximately 18 months later, tragedy strikes the family again when young Hugh Murry passes away at the age of 5 on March 28, 1904. The pain must have been unbearable for the young father to bear for it seems he vanishes for a time being. The 1910 federal census shows an eight-year-old Flossie living with her paternal grandmother Sallie and her new husband, Robert R. Mitchell, in Justice Precinct 3, Cherokee, Texas without her father.

But by the age of 18, Flossie has been reunited with her father and is now living with him and her grandmother, who is once again widowed, in Tipton County, Tenn. In 1920, Bryant is 47 and doesn’t appear to have ever remarried. He is employed as an automobile machinist, which seems he has followed in his father’s footsteps. His mother, Sallie is 71 and keeps house. Sometime, after 1920, Flossie marries Leonard Thomas Abraham and has a son, whom they name Leonard Thomas, Jr.
1
Hugh’s father, Bryant Thomas Cockrell died on Nov. 15, 1953 in Shelby County, Tenn., and was buried in Salem alongside his mother. His sister Flossie Ellen Cockrell Abraham died on Dec. 24, 1963 and is also buried in Salem, along with her husband and son. His grandfather whom he was named after, Hugh Morrison, died on Oct. 4, 1914 and is also resting in Salem, as well as his grandmother Ellen and his great-grandparents, Chestnut and Margaret Morrison, who died in 1902 and 1904, respectively.

When I stumbled upon little Hugh’s headstone I was sad to think he was spending eternity all alone. There are no family stones next to him, but after learning whom his family is, I find he is not alone and has never been. For in Salem ARP Cemetery, he has his parents, sister, and his maternal and paternal grandparents, great-grandparents, not to mention uncles, aunties and cousins all at rest within the same hollowed grounds. Although his time on earth was cut too short and he was unable to leave his mark, I have to believe his family has done that for him, for with family, alone is something little Hugh will never be.

By Chronicling America, Library of Congress 
​
​About 15 years after Memphis, Tennessee, was founded, Henry Van Pelt printed the first issue of a weekly newspaper, the Memphis Appeal, in 1841. His printing office was his home, a ramshackle wood cottage on the banks of the Wolf River. Van Pelt printed the Appeal on single sheets, an unimpressive newspaper serving the muddy Mississippi River town. Beginning in 1847, it became known as the Memphis Daily Appeal. The paper grew with Memphis and passed into new ownership, becoming a Confederate paper with the onset of the Civil War. Editor Benjamin Dill and his wife, America "Carolina," and printer John R. McClanahan became part of American newspaper lore when they refused to be censored or silenced during the Union occupation of Memphis. In June 1862, Dill and McClanahan moved their paper 100 miles south, to Grenada, Mississippi.
 
With the Appeal's offices vacant, a special order was issued for J.K. Davisson of the 24th Indiana Volunteers to take possession of the offices and publish a Union paper for the city. The first issue of the Memphis Union Appeal was printed on July 2, 1862. After a few weeks, Samuel Sawyer took over as publisher and changed the title to the Daily Union Appeal. The last extant issue dates from August 30, 1862, and it is not known how long (or if) the paper survived after this date. The "original" Confederate Memphis Daily Appeal, however, proved to be resilient in the face of adversity.
 
Soon dubbed the "Moving Appeal," the Memphis Daily Appeal moved by wagon and flatcar, in its attempt to stay ahead of the Union army. It was published in Jackson and Meridian, Mississippi; Atlanta, Georgia; and Montgomery, Alabama. Union troops finally captured the newspaper in Columbus, Georgia, in April 1865, after nearly three years of pursuit. The troops wrecked the type and equipment and silenced the "Voice of the Confederacy," as its admirers called it. The paper's main printing press, however, avoided capture, remaining hidden in Macon, Georgia. Six months later, the Civil War ended and the Appeal's staff returned to Memphis to begin the paper anew.
 
In 1868, John M. Keating and Matthew Gallaway became co-editors of the Appeal and owners in 1879. Gallaway sold his interest in 1887, and Keating became editor-in-chief until leaving at the behest of the paper's owners in 1889, when he became editor of the competing Memphis Daily Commercial, started by the city's Democratic leaders that same year. The Memphis Appeal, in 1890, merged with the Memphis Avalanche which had re-opened in 1866 as the Daily Memphis Avalanche, to become the Appeal-Avalanche. In a competition drawn along political lines, the Daily Commercial had a circulation of about 12,500, compared with the Memphis Appeal-Avalanche's circulation of about 17,750.
 
The depression of 1893 financially crippled the Appeal-Avalanche, which was sold to the Memphis Commercial in 1894. The papers merged as the Memphis Commercial Appeal, with the newly named paper first appearing July 1, 1894. Two years later, Charles J.P. Mooney became managing editor, and eventually became a major force in Memphis politics and publishing. Mooney left the newspaper for New York in 1902, but returned to Memphis and the Commercial Appeal in 1908 as managing editor. The highly partisan paper -- Democratic -- was in rancorous rivalry with the Memphis News-Scimitar. Mooney's return meant a long battle with Edward H. Crump, who was building his political machine in Memphis. Initially backing Crump for mayor, Mooney opposed Crump's re-election in 1911. Crump kept winning -- and running Memphis -- in spite of the Commercial Appeal's opposition. Though failing to deter Crump's political machine, Mooney and the Commercial Appeal did not shrink from reform, turning attention to a resurgent Ku Klux Klan in the early 1920s. The paper was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1923. In the first decades of the 20th century, the newspaper championed better public schools, improved levees, public health measures, and women's suffrage.
 
Issues of the Memphis Daily Appeal from Jan 1, 1857 to Jan 27, 1886, and hundreds of other historical newspapers from around the country, can be read for free at the Library of Congress’ website, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.

If you've considered taking a DNA test but you're not exactly sure which one to get or even what you can learn from them, then this two-part series lecture is for you! 

Join us on Thursday, May 3 at 12pm at the Tennessee Genealogical Society, 7779 Poplar Pike in Germantown, when Debbie Atchley presents DNA Part 1 - Which test do I need to order?  She will discuss the difference between the three main types of DNA tests used and which ones each of the four major DNA companies use.

Part 1 of the DNA series will answer basic questions for those new to the science of DNA, such as which company uses which test, how to choose the correct test to answer your particular genealogical questions, and how DNA is carried through the generations. 

The Part 1 workshop will not cover analyzing or comparing DNA, chromosome browsers, GEDMATCH, or any other DNA analysis. These topics will be covered in DNA Part 2, which will be held on Saturday, July 28. That registration will be made available soon. 

Click here to register for DNA Part 1 - Which test for I need to order. The lecture is FREE for members and $5 for non-members. 

Click here to join the Tennessee Genealogical Society and receive all lectures given by TNGS for free or at a discounted price in addition to other fabulous benefits!

Come listen as author Al Arnold talks about his journey of unveiling his connection to America's Civil War. In his self-published biography about the life and service of Turner Hall, Jr., his great-great grandfather, Al reveals the path taken on his journey of discovering the truth of his family's Confederate background.

​On Tuesday, April 10 at 7pm at the Tennessee Genealogical Society's office at 7779 Popular Pike in Germantown, Al will talk about his book, Robert E. Lee's Orderly - A Black Man's Confederate Journal, and his search in understanding the complexities of his ancestor's service to the Confederacy. A descendant of slaves, Al discovers his ancestor was not only a slave of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, but that he also served as a body servant for two Confederate soldiers and as an orderly for General Robert E. Lee and he was proud of his service to the Confederacy!

Join us as Al tells the story of his great-great grandfather and how family and faith have brought harmony to his new found heritage. Listen as he explains his mission of challenging the traditional thoughts of African Americans and their role in the Civil War. 

This is one lecture you don't want miss! Admission is free for TNGS members and $5 for non-members. There is a limited number of seats available, so click here to reserve your spot now!

The annual TNGS Spring seminar is fast approaching and if you haven't signed up yet, time is quickly running out. Join us on Saturday, April 7, 2018, for an informative and fun-filled day of genealogy topics given by Lisa Louise Cooke, owner of Genealogy Gems, a genealogy and family history multimedia company whose Genealogy Gems Podcast have recently celebrated two million downloads.

The conference will be held from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. at the Pickering Center at 7771 Poplar Pike in Germantown. Conference check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. Lisa Louise's topics will include, The Genealogist’s Google Search Methodology for Genealogy;  Time Travel with Google Earth; How to Reopen and Work a Genealogical Cold Case; and Future Technology and Genealogy – 5 Strategies You Need. 

The deadline for registration is Tuesday, April 3 and limited seats are available. The cost of the conference is $35 for TNGS members and $40 for non-members. A boxed lunch and refreshments will also be provided. Click HERE to reserve your spot today with credit card or HERE to download the conference registration form to pay by check. Mailing address is provided on registration form. 

March is Women's History Month... a time to celebrate the amazing contributions that woman have made to our country. Tennessee is the proud home of several trailblazers who went beyond society's traditional roles for women to put their own stamp forever on Tennessee's history. Below are the stories of just a few of Tennessee's proud daughters. 

Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994) was born in St. Bethlehem, TN, one of 22 siblings. Born premature and very ill during her first nine years, she overcame polio with the help of her brothers and sisters and sprinted her way to winning Olympic gold. After regaining the ability to walk at age 9, Wilma began her sports career. At age 16, she was an All-State basketball star and won a bronze medal during the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. During the 1960 games in Rome, she took home three gold medals and broke three world records. Considered the "fastest woman on earth," she was known for her grace and speed and was honored as the nation's top amateur athlete in 1961. After retiring in 1962, she coached and worked with underprivileged kids, founded the Wilma Rudolph Foundation, and she was inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame, the Black Sports Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympics Hall of Fame.  Sadly, she passed away on Nov. 12, 1994 from brain cancer at the age of 54 at her home in Brentwood, TN.

Margaret Elizabeth Crozier French (1851-1926) was born in Knoxville, TN, to John Hervey Crozier and Mary WIlliam. She grew up to be an American educator, a suffragist and social reform activist. She was one of the primary leaders in the push for women's rights in Tennessee at the turn of the century, and helped Tennessee to become the 36th state to certify the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, giving women the right to vote in 1920. 

Born just months after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation calling for the end of slavery, Mary Eliza Church Terrell (1863-1954) was born in Memphis, the daughter of former slaves. She was very much a pioneer, both for African-Americans and women. She attended Oberlin College, where she became one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. Terrell was a suffragist and the founder of the National Association of Colored Women and its first president and, at the suggestion of W.E.B. Du Bois, she became a charter member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She was also the first African-American appointment to a school board and the first African American admitted to the Washington chapter of the American Association of University Women. Shortly after seeing the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, Terrell passed away at the age of 90 at her home in Maryland.
​
Murfreesboro native, Dr. Margaret Rhea Seddon (1947 -) was one of only six women to be accepted into medical school and the first woman ever to be accepted into her General Surgery Residency Program. In 1978, she was selected as one of the first women to enter the U.S. astronaut program, where she participated in three space flights and spent 30 days in space as Mission Specialist and Payload Commander. A pioneer in the field of space, she made a lasting impact for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields of study. She spent 19 years at NASA before leaving to become the Assistant Chief Medical Officer of the Vanderbilt Medical Group in Nashville. She was inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005, the Astronaut Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Women’s Hall of Fame in 2015. She currently resides with her family in Nashville.

Dolly Rebecca Parton (1946-), was born in Sevier County, TN, one of 12 children to Robert Parton, Sr. and Avie Caroline Owens. She is an internationally known singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, author, businesswoman and philanthropist.  She is the most honored female country recording artist of all time and has won multiple awards for her work, including nine Grammy Awards, 10 Country Music Association Awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards, three American Music Awards and she is one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award. Dolly was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and has composed over 3,000 songs. She was starred in several films for which she has earned nominations for best actress. A strong supporter of her birth state, she raises money for various events and has invested millions in Tennessee through her various charities. She helps promote literacy through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Foundation, which sends out more than one million books to children in Tennessee and around the world.

Another female pioneer in music is Haywood County's own Anna Mae Bullock, otherwise known as Tina Turner (1939-). Born in Nutbush to a sharecropping family, Tina Turner found success through her music. A successful singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and author, Tina saw success as a part of the Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm group before going off on her own. She grew to such prominence, she is considered the Queen of Rock-n-Roll and has sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history. Tina Turner has won countless awards, both nationally and internationally, including three American Music Awards and eight Grammy Awards. She was awarded the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

Anna Lee Keys Worley (1876 - 1961) was the first woman elected to the Tennessee Senate, representing Sullivan and Hawkins Counties as a Democrat in 1921, after the death of her husband. Officially seated Feb. 8, 1921, she served one term, leaving the Senate in 1923. Although her time in the Senate was short, she left her mark and empowered women throughout the state. Worley introduced and ultimately passed a bill making women eligible to hold public office in Tennessee. She passed away in 1961 at the age of 95. 

Since the beginning of statehood in 1796, Tennessee's daughters have continuously given of themselves and played an important role in the State's formation and rich history. From the trailblazers who helped give women the right to vote and ensured their voices were heard, to the ladies who stood up to take care of their families and their communities, Tennessee's history would not be complete without the telling of the stories of all of her ladies. 

Join us this Tuesday, March 27 at 7pm, as Jason Terrell takes us on a journey on how to discover your Native roots. 

Held at the TNGS office, this informative lecture will discuss the ins and outs of conducting Native American research. Learn where to go to discover the information needed to gain tribal membership or to help fill in the missing blanks in your family tree. Listen as Jason generously shares his expertise and knowledge on navigating the complexities of Native American research. 

The lecture is FREE for TNGS members and $5 for non-members. Limited seats available, so click here to sign up today!